With unemployment, financial difficulty and homelessness all on the rise during the COVID-19 crisis, the work our Prevention Support Officers do is even more important than ever before.
The economic impact of the Coronavirus and lockdown cannot be overstated, with the first 3 months of this year seeing the UK experiencing the sharpest economic contraction since the peak of the 2008 financial crisis. Despite the Government Job Retention Scheme (also referred to as ‘furlough’), the somewhat grim picture for the UK labour market is also becoming clearer day by day, with unemployment continuing to rise and the number of Universal Credit claimants rising to nearly double the pre-Coronavirus level.
This troubling economic picture sets the scene for the important support our Prevention Support Officers (PSOs) provide across Shropshire. Their wide-ranging work can broadly be broken down into two main strands: preventing our tenants and those in the wider community from becoming homeless, through drop-in services and by making home visits; and supporting those who have found themselves homeless and in temporary accommodation. Both involve partnering with Shropshire Council and linking to other support agencies.
Those who find themselves homeless in Shropshire will be supported by the Council’s Housing Options Team to move into temporary accommodation across the region, including B&Bs and Travelodges. This is where our PSOs step-in, supporting often vulnerable rough sleepers with a variety of issues with transitioning to settled accommodation.
Before the Coronavirus pandemic, PSOs would make weekly visits to temporary accommodation across Shropshire. Social distancing and lockdown restrictions have meant that this work now takes place over the phone or via email, presenting its own difficulties, but letting clients know that support continues to be there for them. Perhaps the most immediate form of assistance PSOs can offer is with filling out complicated Universal Credit and Housing Benefit forms, helping clients take those first steps towards a settled home.
Many clients present with multiple complex issues such as acute mental health concerns, drug and alcohol addiction, recent offending history, and a lack of permanence in housing leading to erratic lifestyles. These issues can lead to a cycle of repeat homelessness that PSOs combat by working with other agencies, signposting clients where appropriate.
PSOs also, in normal times, attend SUSTAIN Support Drop-Ins. Formerly held in community centres, SUSTAIN support services are funded by Shropshire Council and offer housing support that helps vulnerable people to maintain their own accommodation. The service is open to not only our own tenants but to anyone who needs support and advice, with referrals coming from the Connexus Neighbourhoods Team and other local agencies. Formerly held in community centres, existing clients from these drop-ins can now contact PSOs over the phone or via email. But what about those who are only now finding that they may need some extra support?
Spearheaded by our Prevention Support team, Connexus has been operating an option on our Customer Service phone line that puts customers straight through to our ever-helpful PSOs. Since the line opened at the beginning of April, PSOs have taken 609 calls from customers (as of 28th May 2020), with many of them worried about rent, income and navigating the Universal Credit system for the first time. PSOs have been a supportive listener and a comforting voice for many callers, signposting to mental health services when needed.
Despite the challenges presented by the Coronavirus pandemic, our Prevention Support team have been quick to adapt, maintaining a service that can prove a real lifeline to our tenants and the wider community. With many across society understandably worried about the longterm economic impact of Coronavirus and the lockdown, their knowledge and understanding are likely to become more important than ever.
If you feel you would benefit from extra support around issues raised in the article, please contact Customer Services.
Shropshire residents can find out more about the SUSTAIN support services here.
